


Art to Die For

by orangeCrates



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, M/M, Please Practice Fire Safety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-17 22:37:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7288831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangeCrates/pseuds/orangeCrates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a serial killer on the loose in the city and the police force is trying its best to catch him.</p><p>But perhaps some of them are trying harder than others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Art to Die For

**Author's Note:**

> Round 7 of the evil contest! Which is very late because real life ate me alive. But I have time to write now.
> 
> This round's prompt was:
> 
> Character A is a serial killer; with a gruesome M.O. Character B is a detective/profiler (you decide) who has to console grieving families and find new and inventive ways to tell them they have no idea who the person is or when they will be caught. He's long-suffering and angry with guilt at work; but at home he's watching Netflix and Go-Pro-Perfect videos of Character A's kills while eating popcorn and trading sex favors.

The man who was sitting at the table had his hand (his only), holding onto the paper cup with, one presumed, the crap they tried to pass off as coffee in the station.

Ezio sat across from him, his clothes immaculately pressed and his face arranged into an expression of sympathy. His name was Malik Al-Sayf and he was the family of the latest victim (one Kadar Al-Sayf, 22 years old, male, single) of a serial murder case that had stumped the police for the past half a year. This isn't the first (and probably wasn't the last) person Ezio had spoken to about this case, but it wasn't much different now than it had been the first time. He had to watch the same transition of emotions, from disbelief, to anger to acceptance (with despair caught up in it) and he comforted the man as best he could as Malik answered all his questions with a defeated sort of calm. 

They had finished not too long ago and Ezio was organizing his papers and all the notes he made to be kept alongside the rest of the evidence. 

Malik was staring at his coffee while he was busy sorting his papers. When he looked up, his eyes were red-rimmed but determined. "Can I see him?"

"I'm not sure that is such a good idea. Malik," Ezio said and put his hand on Malik's shoulder, not because they're friends but because Ezio had always had an easy and casual way with people. "This serial killer is known to be--"

"There's no need to spare my feelings." Malik said sharply, his voice sounding thick and raw. "I want to see him."

Ezio had seen the body (all of them, actually), and there was nothing good to see. He would have told Malik, but he seemed to be the stubborn sort so he nodded. "All right."

* * *

Malik did not throw up or pass out after seeing what was left of his brother. He showed no visible reaction except for the paling of his complexion and the way he balled his hand into a fist. Still, the man who came with him put an arm around his shoulder and held him like he was offering Malik support (from the way Malik's hand snaked over to grab the man's shirt, it was appreciated).

"How much longer until you find the bastard who did this?" Malik's voice shook when he spoke and the man holding him frowned at him.

"We are doing everything we can." Ezio said and he sounded so very apologetic. He added, "I know how you feel." And Malik's expression turned stormy and he might have lashed out if the man with him hadn't tightend his grip dragging Malik's glare to him. "I have a little brother too." Ezio reached out and touched Malik's shoulder again. "We _will_ catch him, I swear it."

* * *

"Did you see them off?"

Evie was the one who had the desk across from his so they were always face to face. Nowadays, the two of them were often facing each other with tired eyes and down-turned mouths.

"Yes." The chair squeaked as it was rolled back. There was one particular chair that made an unholy racket when it moved and the department has made a game out of shuffling it around so someone else had it. It appeared someone had switched out Ezio's chair sometime while he'd been doing his job. There was no point asking Evie (assuming she hadn't been the culprit): there was an unspoken rule to not out the perpetrator. "He was very upset."

"Well," Evie said, raising her arms to srtetch her shoulders with a pop, "that was his brother. I can't imagine how he wouldn't be upset." She looked to something on her desk, a picture of her twin, and frowned. 

"At least he had his friend to take care of him--what?" Because Evie was staring at him with the faintest of grins. "What is it?"

"Ezio," She began with perfect cheekiness, "they were _married_."

"What?" He looked around like they weren't probably already pulling out of the driveway.

Evie laughed at him. "They were wearing rings, Ezio. The brother had it on a chain."

"I hadn't noticed..." And he could imagine how Leonardo would laugh at that.

They were able to share a moment of levity, but it did not last, as Evie's smile faded once again. "We really need to catch the killer."

Ezio nodded, "we do."

There is a crinkle of paper as Evie picked up a sheet she had placed at the corner of her desk. "I've been reviewing the evidence we have." Ezio leaned over a little and looked at her desk, the way the papers were divided into neat piles, like piles of puzzle pieces sorted based on some sort of similarity. "There must be something we've missed."

Ezio watched her glare at the papers before he stood up and walked over to her desk. "I will help." He stopped beside her as Evei folded her hands under her chin. "Did the forensics team send us anything new?"

"Nothing yet." She sighed. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I." He put a hand on the desk. "But we'll figure it out." His face was grim as he said it, determined.

* * *

Though almost every newspaper that was being read declared that the city was shaking in terror over the threat of the serial killer, the city was actually quite peaceful when Ezio walked out of the station after work. He made a stop to the grocery store, a small family business that sold organic and local produce where the owners knew him by face. It was the usual business of picking up groceries because Leonardo, genius though he may have been, had a tendency to forget mundane things like eating. The old lady behind the counter handed rang up his purchase and he helped her put everything into the bags.

"Terrible business." She said with a shake of her head as the news on the TV started talking about the latest string of victims of the serial killer. "You'll catch him soon, right?"

Ezio smiled at her with as much reassurance as he could muster, "we are doing our best."

She nodded, "stay safe. Tell Leonardo to stay home as well."

"Oh." Ezio chuckled, "he has a new project. I think he will be safely busy for a while yet."

"Then remind him to eat." She said and pushed the last bag towards him. "He'd never forget to feed birds on the street and yet that man would starve himself by accident. I don't know what he'd do without you."

"I think you'd find it is I who wouldn't know what to do without him." Ezio said with a charming laugh. "My mother would tell you I am hopeless."

"All mothers say that." She said with an answering laugh, "tell Leonardo I said hello."

* * *

Leonardo was sitting at the window, sketching a bird when Ezio came home. The artist didn't look up from his work, his tongue poking out from between his teeth and Ezio just leaned against the doorway leading into the living room and watched him.

Every one of Leonardo's movements were short and quick, and the lines that he created were beautiful and precise. The bird he was sketching had no colours, but it was so real Ezio would not have been surprised if it flew off the page, stood on Leonardo's shoulder and began to sing.

The groceries in his hands needed to be put away, but he didn't move for a few moments more, letting the stress of his work day bleed out of him as he watched Leonardo work.

"I was waiting for you to come home before I started the video." Though Leonardo didn't look up, it was clear who those words were meant for.

Instead of heading for the kitchen, Ezio walked into the room, stopping beside Leonardo to lean in and place a quick kiss on top of his head. "Well, I'm home now. I'll put together something for us to eat. You can start now if you want."

"I'll wait." Was the reply he got before Leonardo touched the side of his face with charcoal smudged fingers and kissed him.

* * *

When Ezio left the kitchen, it was full of the smells of dinner cooking in the oven (a beef, slowly braising in a tomato sauce with a dash of salt and whole cloves of garlic) and popcorn mingling together. Leonardo had abandoned the window for the couch, with his long legs tucked up on the seat as he accepted the bowl of popcorn from Ezio. "I am rather proud of this one." He said as Ezio fell back onto the couch without any attempt at being graceful (and yet looked good doing it).

He smiled as Leonardo talked about _technique_ and _colour_ and all the other aspects of his newest masterpiece as he took the remote and pressed play.

"Are you even listening?" He said with a fond smile and nudged Ezio with his elbow.

"I always listen in rapture when you speak." Leonardo kissed him and Ezio turned his head to deepen it, "I may not always understand what you are talking about. But I do love listening to you talk."

"Oh? What could be so interesting if you do not understand?"

Ezio kissed him even as, on the screen, a young man with dark skin and wide blue eyes woke up tied to a chair. "I love your enthusiasm. The light in your eyes that is so," He brushes his thumb close to the corner of Leonardo's eyes, " _captivating._ " Then he kissed him again even as the speakers said, _"wait. What's happening? Where am I?"_

"Ezio." Leonardo said when Ezio pulled back and started placing kisses along his neck. "I wanted you to watch this."

Ezio pulled back far enough to pout at him, an expression that should have been ridiculous on a man his age (but was somehow endearing when he did it). On the screen, the young man seems to have seen something that renewed his struggles.

_"I-If this is a joke, this isn't funny!"_

"But you are so tempting." He said and let their fingers lace together, "And I haven't seen you in _forever_."

_"Don't--don't come any closer!"_

Leonardo's voice came from two places. From the couch it was an amused, "it's only been nine hours, Ezio." while from the speakers it was a dreamy, _"do not worry. I will make you into something beautiful."_

"Only nine hours, he says!" As sobbing and begging came from the speakers, Ezio draped himself over Leonardo, "even an hour without you is torture."

"You big baby." Leonardo said fondly and kissed Ezio as the camera moved ever closer to the boy and his big blue eyes. "Fine. But you'll watch this with me after without any interruptions."

"Absolutely." He said and kissed Leonardo until they were both breathless, distracting both of them sufficiently enough that they didn't find the time to pause the video until the first scream.


End file.
